Strange
by YanaEffect
Summary: Naruto wants to find out why the strange man is a persistent visitor of the funeral home. Along the way, he finds out other things about him as well. mortician!AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello and welcome. I'm here to pop the internet's Mortician!AU cherry. Special thanks to Raz for the ideas and Chaussie for proofreading, because I sure as hell can't. D:**

 **If you're still with me, enjoy.**

* * *

The embalming was finally over. The open-casket viewing was supposed to take place tomorrow and Naruto didn't have much time in his hands to prepare the body. As a mortician, his duty with bodies was simple: wash and dress. His dad had always been better with chemicals, so Naruto usually left the embalming part to him.

He removed the mask he wore and prepared the necessary things for washing with earned practice before putting his gloves on. The curtains were drawn, letting the weak sunrays of the early morning in. The room they prepared the bodies was a basement, and the egress window didn't help much with lighting. The entire funeral home, especially the basement area, smelled of strong chemicals. The building wasn't exactly new; the exterior had been repainted to look less gruesome to no avail.

Things had been easier to handle before his grandfather had passed away. Dealing with bodies since he was a little kid, death was no strange concept to Naruto. However, he'd never seen a close relative on the table they used to prepare bodies for funerals before. It had been ironic. The man who'd washed hundreds of people was eventually washed by his own grandson.

Ever since then, Naruto was doing everything with his father. He was still very young, but he guessed the job had its benefits. For instance, being the only undertaker in town meant that he always had something to do. He had an incredibly stable job. Birth and death were the never-changing fate of the living.

And… well, that was about the only good thing about being a mortician.

He started gently dabbing the dead girl's face with a soft, wet sponge. The death certificate stood right next to the bucket of clean water he'd brought along, and as he dipped the sponge in it once more, he took a look at the papers. Poor thing was only 10 years old. The cause of death was unknown.

Naruto was used to washing babies and kids - if it were possible to ever get used to this, and he ached for them each and every time. The mother's face when she had left her baby girl here could be material for an Oscar-winning drama movie.

Naruto was just doing his job.

As he moved on to the lower parts of the corpse, he mixed some soap into the water. Removing the white cloth, he quickly but thoroughly washed her.

He needed help to turn the body over so he could wash the backside.

"Dad!"

Knowing it would take some time for the other man to come, he sighed, his eyes lingering on the girl's expressionless face before moving to the small, old-fashioned TV standing on a round table in the corner of the room. It was partially covered with clothes Naruto bought for the deceased who were less fortunate. Careful not to drip water onto the dark brown hardwood floor, he walked over to the table and with his right arm, he shoved the clothes to the side. They fell onto the dark green armchair right next to the table. It took Naruto a while to push the power button using only his elbow.

Some rock music channel was on. John Cooper's voice blared from the speakers and echoed in the room. " _I'm awake! I'm alive!_ "

Oops. With a noise that resembled a snort, he changed the channel. Teen dramas didn't exactly interest him, but it was better than silently washing a body.

"I wonder if you liked watching these..." He checked the certificate again to remember her name. "...Nancy."

No reply.

"I've heard that most girls do," he mumbled, pouring a bit of lavender oil onto his palms. He rubbed them together, making the latex gloves slick. Absentmindedly, he massaged her stiff shoulders, then arms. It wasn't standard procedure to oil the dead unless it was specifically asked, but Naruto felt like doing it. "Maybe you didn't. Maybe you liked reading books instead. Or killing bugs." He scrunched his nose. "I did that a lot when I was a kid."

He cocked his head to the side to regard the TV. He couldn't understand what they were talking about for the life of him.

"Dad, I'm waiting!" He called out once more.

He heard a muffled response, and seconds later, the stairs squeaked under the weight of the older man as his father descended, entering the room. "What's up?"

"I need help with washing her back."

A white towel was wrapped around Minato's shoulders. His hair was wet. "You could've turned her over by yourself."

"Yes, but I don't want to."

Giving Naruto a look, he took gloves from the paper box on the other end of the table and put them on.

Naruto fixed his gaze on the screen. "Did it wash out?"

"I guess so." He grabbed hold of the thin shoulders of the girl on the table as Naruto supported her by the legs, and they flipped her. "Did you know the aspirator was clogged?"

"No," Naruto answered, taking the sponge again. "You think I wouldn't have told ya if I knew? I didn't enjoy seeing my dad covered in poop, contrary to what you seem to think."

Minato took a deep breath. He watched Naruto's hands wash the back of the corpse with delicate movements, rubbing the oil in. His eyes found the TV a moment later. "What are you watching?"

"Uh. Some show? I don't know."

Throwing Naruto a disapproving look, Minato surfed through the other channels to find something better for Naruto to watch, but eventually settled on the news.

"I'm gonna bring my laptop in here and watch a movie or something the next time I do this," Naruto complained, motioning his father to help him turn the body back to its original position.

"Don't do that. That's disrespecting the dead."

"It's a good thing that they're dead. They won't care what the person washing their body is doing."

The lacy, pink clothes brought by the dead girl's mother laid out on the other table, which they didn't use often. The town wasn't that big, but they had people die daily, although not more than two or three unless an epidemic broke out or an accident took place. Car crashes were pretty bad, and stitching a body torn in three pieces back together was appalling, even for Naruto.

"They left underwear too," he announced as he examined the pile of clothes. "We should put it on."

"Sure."

Pressing his lips together, he thought about what a loss it was for a person this young to die. "The wadding won't leak anything, right?"

"Hmm," Minato hummed distractedly, watching the news.

Giving out an exhausted sigh, Naruto started dressing the poor girl.

. . .

"I'm sorry for your loss."

With a bow, Naruto finished his greeting duty and watched the couple walk inside. Like everyone else - including Naruto himself - they wore black clothes.

He assumed there would be no latecomers. It was a little past noon. Everyone seemed to be devastated by the girl's early demise, and even the family's distant relatives had come. At least that was what Naruto understood from the crowd. They were pretty well-off, if the expensive clothes they wore gave anything away. Sadly, money couldn't bring back the dead.

Being a mortician didn't mean that Naruto was any different from his peers. He had hobbies, likes, dislikes. More importantly, like any other lad, he often got bored.

Watching a bunch of people mourn their loved ones wasn't quite enthralling.

He hid his distinct lack of interest and schooled his facial expression into something professionally neutral. After all, disrespecting these people was the last thing he wanted to do. He walked around for a while to help instead of sitting idly. Open-casket funerals were always tough. He offered napkins to a sobbing lady and kept an eye on her little son as she paid a visit to the bathroom. Then, he returned to the viewing room.

All things considered, the funeral went smoothly. Sure, there was some crying, but Naruto offered all the support he could give.

The next time he saw his father, Minato told him that the memorial service would take place right after the burial. It was unusual, but most of the relatives were out-of-towners, so Naruto figured it was best to have the memorial before they left.

The burial process itself was shorter than any other burial Naruto had ever witnessed. Minato said he could leave if he wanted to, but Naruto wanted to stay for the memorial, at least for a little while. He could understand people's pain, and wanted to be useful. It was his duty as an undertaker, but he also did it because he cared.

His father seemed to be taking care of everything, so he decided to help in the small kitchen. They put lasagna onto plates, and Naruto sliced the freshly baked French bread as a woman prepared the salad plates. (Naruto guessed she was one of the girl's aunts.)

They all moved to the smaller hall and Nancy's mother offered to help Naruto bring tea out for everyone. It was heartbreaking to see her hands shake as she tried to calm herself. Then, the memorial service started.

"She was such a nice girl," spoke the mother, taking the initiative. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. From his seat by the door, Naruto could only see parts of her black, knee-length dress. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed at her eye and shuddered. "She was so different from the others. She did nothing wrong... She didn't deserve death."

Leaning back, Naruto started chewing on his lower lip. A few nodded in agreement, and the father was next to speak. "My angel was sent from above. God took her back to his side. We can only hope to meet her again in heaven."

Naruto sipped his tea. A couple more people spoke, and he wondered whether it would be too weird for him to, right at this moment, ask for the sugar from the lady sitting in front of him?

They all listened to a close friend of the dead girl tell a story, occasionally taking breaks to sob and drink some water. Naruto looked at her with sympathy. Losing a friend at that age must be very difficult.

However, the stories didn't end. The more they spoke about her, the longer the service got, and Naruto was honestly starting to get bored of everything going on. He supposed he wasn't needed anymore since they had moved on to happier memories.

Tossing a look to his father, he stood up and quietly fled from the room.

. . .

No deaths happened until noon the next day. Naruto decided waiting was stupid and, to seize the day, he arranged a meet up with some friends.

An old man conveniently chose that hour to draw his last breath.

There was nothing he could do about it, and his friends had come to terms with his job long ago, so he bid them goodbye, walked to the funeral home and got into the hearse. The hospital was closer to the other end of town, and it took him longer than usual to bring the corpse. On the bright side, the man hadn't been living alone in a house and the nurses had informed Naruto about his death. Finding rotten bodies of abandoned, old people was never nice.

The body was light in the coffin. He did the standard procedure without any help and drove the corpse to the cemetery. Sometimes, especially when no funerals were held for older people, he thought about his own life. He didn't hate his job. Yes, it wasn't ideal, but someone had to do it. What worried him was that… he didn't want to die alone. He didn't want to be forgotten.

Despite the chilly weather outside, he watched the keeper lower the coffin into the already dug grave. The movements of the shovel weren't interesting, but he stayed until the burial was over before he said a small prayer and left in a hurry.

. . .

This time, he had his laptop on top of the small table that used to hold the TV. He was watching _Oldboy_ and washing two bodies that belonged to a newly wed couple. Carbon dioxide poisoning, their certificates said. They looked young, too.

"This part never gets any less gross," he said, his voice muffled by his mask. He was referring to the movie, but he guessed it could apply to the scene before him too. The corpses had been left alone for two whole days before they were found. Naturally, they stank, and they were partially purple.

"What kind of psycho would do that to a person?"

He let go of the sponge and brought an empty bucket, placing it by the table under the woman's head. He noticed that her hair needed washing.

"It's not a bad way to go, y'know? I imagine it must be like… falling asleep." He soaked her hair and squeezed some shampoo into his palm. "Meh. Better than drowning."

"Talking to yourself again?"

Naruto grinned at his father, though it was concealed by the mask. "Nah. To my new friends."

Minato shook his head in disapproval. "Maybe you need another profession for the sake of your sanity."

"Aww. Don't say that!"

"I told you not to bring your laptop here," Minato said in earnest, changing the subject.

Naruto wrung her hair to get rid of the excess water. "They don't mind."

"How can you possibly know that?"

Naruto looked to the corpses. "Hey, guys, mind if I watch something while I prepare you two for the funeral?" His eyes found his father's, then he raised his brows. "See? They don't mind."

He received a light smack on the head.

"Ow. That hurt."

"That was the intention," Minato chuckled. His father was a strict man when it came to this, and respected his job endlessly. But he also appeared to be able to empathize with his son. "I'll do the rest. You go watch your movie."

"Sweet," he took off the gloves, then the mask. "Thanks."

"Make sure you don't lose track of time. You know I can't carry coffins without help."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll come back in… how about two hours?" Naruto inquired as he washed his hands in the small sink by the door. The cupboard they stored the chemicals in was right next to it. "Did they tell you anything about the funeral?"

"Open-casket. Oh, could you pick up lilies on your way back?"

Naruto nodded. "Sure."

He unplugged the charger and grabbed his laptop, stuffing it into the laptop case. Without giving the dead another look, he climbed the basement stairs. They used the ground floor he currently stood in to welcome the families of the deceased. Four doors were present; one of them was a relatively big hall that was used for holding funerals. It had about five windows so the atmosphere wouldn't be gloomy and thick. The other door opened to a small kitchen. Some people needed to be comforted more than the others, and Naruto gladly served them hot beverages. It was also useful when he had to work in until late hours. The third one was another hall - smaller than the other one, and they used it less often. The last one was a small bathroom.

Naruto had by all means no intention to stay for another minute. He passed through the narrow corridor to let himself out, clutching his laptop case.

. . .

The reception took place one week after the funeral. Only a handful of people came. From what Naruto heard, the couple had married without their parents' consent, and were disowned, which was the reason why they had decided to do it at the funeral home instead of their house. Some uncles and aunts were here, as well as a couple of friends.

He talked to each and every person he came across. The best friend of the woman expressed her gratitude with damp eyes. Naruto didn't deny her a hug when she asked for one. Just when he thought that he had talked to everyone, a man standing in the corner caught his eye. He wore a black, knee length trench coat with his hands shoved in his pockets. Naruto briefly wondered if he'd seen the guy before. They looked about the same age, but his face looked somehow familiar. It wouldn't necessarily be surprising if he'd attended to services before. Maybe he had a large family, or simply knew many people.

With slow steps, Naruto walked toward him. The dark eyes fixed on the wall drifted to look Naruto in the eye, and Naruto offered a polite nod.

The man nodded back.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he softly said. What he received in response was another curt nod. He was used to hearing just about anything when he tried to converse with grieving people. Apathy was new… and it made Naruto feel kind of uncomfortable.

So, in an attempt to make the man open up, he decided to ask something. "Were you close with them?"

The tranquility disappeared from his face, leaving in its place a small frown. The long bangs by the sides of his face hid his eyes. "Not really." His voice was throaty.

"Okay," Naruto gave a sympathetic smile. Perhaps the man was one of those stoic types. "I'll be around if you need me."

After that, he organized the wedding photos placed on a shelf. He lit up the candles and checked the guest book to see if everybody had signed it.

Guests had brought their food themselves. Naruto, as customary, helped with setting the buffet. Seeing appreciative faces all around was making him feel useful. Also, the food looked good, so he didn't mind the fact that he was not getting paid for this. The funeral itself had cost enough. He wasn't going to charge these people for the reception, too.

They sat down with plates in hand, forming a circle with the chairs. The best friend started to talk about the dead woman. She told them how they had met and how they had gotten close, while Naruto shoved a spoonful of salmon quiche into his mouth.

Before he knew it, it was almost his turn. He put his plate down with one hand (the other one was busy being held by the sobbing lady next to him, who was about to finish her speech).

The silence embraced the room, and he took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. His eyes roamed over the sad faces. One of them stood out for some reason. It was the guy from earlier. He either didn't care a great deal despite coming here, or was ridiculously good at hiding his sorrow.

He didn't think he was expected to talk much - they knew he didn't actually know these people, didn't they? - so he gave one of his memorized speeches about the importance of accepting death and moving on.

Tears were shed, and memories were told. Naruto sighed when it was finally over. He was told they were going to clean up in order to not cause discomfort for Naruto. So, he talked to a few more people who sought comfort. He was always told he had a natural talent for it, and his job was the perfect opportunity to use it.

Just when he was thinking about taking his leave and leaving the rest to his father, he saw the don't-let-them-see-my-emotions guy by the door, preparing to depart. Naruto considered rushing to his side to question him, but a part of him thought he was being inconsiderate. He had no right to probe if the other person didn't want to talk about it.

So, he helped around a bit more, taking off only when the other was gone.

. . .

Months passed by. He was on his usual schedule through most of it. There had been two or three days where no one had died, and he'd gone shopping with friends. It had been liberating, but truthfully, he'd missed his job. The ones teasing him for this revelation had earned themselves punches on the arm.

He tried not to dwell on it too much, but in the meantime, he'd found some sort of… fixation. At least that's what he'd thought until a couple weeks ago.

It had all started on a normal day. Naruto was directing a funeral by himself since his father had come down with a cold. Experiencing how it was done for years meant that he knew how to handle everything perfectly.

Talking to guests as usual had ended up with him noticing a tiny detail. He'd felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. This one particular person was there in nearly each and every one of the funerals. At first, he'd thought he was delusional, but it was impossible to miss that face whenever he stopped by. Naruto tried checking the guest lists, but it only took a few funerals to realize the man wasn't signing them.

He had tried to make himself believe that the guy was the son of the mayor or something. It would be a good reason to know almost half of the town. He was used to seeing the same person more than once, but the situation had simply gone crazy after the 12th or 13th time - he had eventually lost count. He had a hunch that this guy didn't really know the deceased ones at all, not even their families. After all, Naruto had never seen him interact with others. He simply stood there, watched, then left after it was all over.

He tried not to think too much about it, but he was curious. It was too interesting for him to overlook.

Eventually, someone else died. This one was an 89-year-old lady. Her grandchildren were the ones who had called the funeral house. Minato went to pick up the body.

When his father came back with two others helping him carry the wooden coffin and another one following them, it took Naruto only a second to realize one table wasn't going to be enough. He pushed the other one and connected their sides so that they could finally start preparing her.

Normally, families weren't allowed downstairs because of the dark aura that could agitate them further, but these ones didn't look affected by it in the slightest. The only female was holding a bag, and her sadness could be read from her eyes. She held out the bag for Minato to take as Naruto opened the coffin.

"This was her favorite dress when she was young," she explained. "I want her to wear this."

Minato took out the fabric, tossing it to Naruto. The dark red dress was barely a size 4, and the woman… _at least_ 14.

"I'm afraid we can't fit her in this," Minato said, shaking his head.

The woman tsked. "You can."

Naruto stepped forward, aware of the eyes turning to him. "I'm sorry, but it's impossible. The seams will burst."

The brown haired male put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Temari."

"Fit her in this, or else I'm not paying," she sternly said, peering at the coffin. Then, she left, the other male following her.

Naruto watched them ascend the stairs. It was only him, Minato and the ginger male left in the room. Father and son shared a look while the other looked around with slightly narrowed eyes. Minato rubbed his arm and said something about preparing for the embalming before leaving.

"Don't mind her," the guy muttered and broke the silence, crossing his arms nonchalantly. "Just cover her with a random red dress. She won't notice the difference."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked. Was the guy taking the woman for an idiot? "I mean, I'm not really worried about the money, but I'd rather not upset a grieving person even further."

"Don't worry about that. My sister is not as fragile as she appears. By the way, do you like working here?"

"I don't mind it." Naruto started putting a new pair of gloves on. "You know you're not supposed to be here, right?"

The guy took a few steps toward Naruto. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Uh. Not particularly, but you should if you don't want to watch your late grandmother get washed by a stranger." He grabbed the biggest bucket they had and sauntered to the sink. He grabbed the green, plastic hose, thrust it up the end of the faucet and turned the water on.

"I don't mind it."

Naruto gave him a look for mirroring his earlier answer.

"I'm Gaara."

"Naruto."

"Well," Naruto put the hose back to its place. "Since you're so eager to stay, could you lend me a hand?"

"Sure."

They carefully moved the bucket. Gaara sat down in the armchair occupied by clothes after putting them aside. Naruto guessed that the guy couldn't see much from that angle, but it was still weird. He wasn't one to talk, having washed his own grandpa, but _still_.

"This place reeks of something."

"Yeah. It's probably the chemicals you're talking about. Dad should be back in a couple of minutes." He wiped his forehead with his forearm. It was getting hot in the room. "You're not gonna watch the blood being sucked away, are you?"

"No. Of course not." He stood up.

"Good," Naruto chuckled. "It's no fun."

"This should do it, by the way," Gaara said, grabbing hold of some red fabric from the pile of clothes. "It's the same tone of red."

"Alright."

"Well, then. It was a pleasure meeting you."

Naruto smiled. "You, too. See you at the funeral."

As Gaara left the room, Naruto took a deep breath.

. . .

Taking a drink from his fresh orange juice, he crossed his legs and leaned back. He was sitting in a bench at one of the large corridors of the funeral home. Some lady had told him they were taking care of everything and he should sit down and rest - all the while shoving him down from his shoulders and not shutting her mouth even when Naruto tried saying it'd be better for him to stand in case anybody needed him.

So, here he was, watching a room full of strangers grieve their loved one from outside of the room.

Naruto didn't have a huge family. It had always been him, his father and grandfather before the latter had passed away. He occasionally visited his mother's grave. It had been a tough birth, Minato had said. The town was much more developed now and Naruto luckily had never washed a woman who had died during childbirth.

He impatiently tapped his foot on the floor. This household was huge as it is, he'd seen it during the burial, but the woman apparently got along with her other relatives unlike many at her age. Old people tended to be… unstable and Naruto didn't 89-year-old man had hugged Naruto and thanked him for coming to get his body before dying. The experiences had piled up and he could hardly be surprised by anything at this point. The existence of a very sane old person was possible, just not very common.

One thing kept him busy like it often did while he absentmindedly swung his legs back and forth: the thought of the mysterious funeral-crasher. Why a person would do that, Naruto had no idea. He'd never had the chance to ask. The man couldn't really be related with each people funerals were held for, could he? Perhaps he was a serial killer who found pleasure in seeing the people he killed in a casket. He wondered if he'd come this time, too.

The kitchen door was open. Naruto got to his feet with a sigh. He could at least check if there was anyone who needed comforting and a cup of tea.

Pouring hot water into two cups, he put tea bags in them and made his way to the other room. Everyone seemed busy talking to each other, some were sitting in the pews, and a bunch of them were by the windows. Naruto squinted, looking for a crying face to comfort, and when he found none, he leaned against the wall, looking to his left when he saw Gaara approach. They'd talked a couple more times, and Naruto honestly thought Gaara was a fun guy, even if a bit too blunt at times.

"Hey," Naruto greeted.

"I could use tea."

Naruto raised a brow. "You don't seem upset."

"I am. This whole room is filled with inauthentic sycophants and it's making me upset." He took one of the cups from Naruto without announcement. "Thanks."

"Tsk," Naruto made a face, then shrugged and took a sip from the other cup. "You have a large family."

"I certainly do."

"You know everyone? Like, their names and such?"

Gaara shook his head. "No idea. I haven't even seen some of them before."

"Oh." He chewed on his lower lip for a while, his eyes peering at one of the chandeliers. "I guess it's no use to have a large family if you don't know them."

"I didn't ask for this. But yes."

They silently drank their tea. Naruto threw Gaara a glance. "Did your sister notice the dress?"

"Yes," Gaara said, then quietly sniggered. "Her face was as red as my hair."

"God, will she castrate me for that?"

Gaara put a hand on Naruto's shoulder while shoving the empty cup into his hand, and offering an appreciative smile. "You're safe. I have relatives to meet now. Talk to you later."

A corresponding smile formed on Naruto's lips. "Bye."

He lingered there for a couple more minutes, just watching. He eventually decided to put the cups back in the kitchen and find his father. The last time they'd seen each other, Minato was busy trying to arrange the catering.

Distracted, he washed the cups and left them to dry. He checked out the window. The front yard looked empty, and the catering truck was long gone. He cracked the knuckles on his right hand.

One of the kids entered the kitchen and asked for water. Naruto filled a glass from the tap and gave it to her, telling her to leave it on the counter after drinking, then he walked out to search for his father. He gave another glance to the crowded room, just in case his father had come in while he was gone.

"Naruto, I was looking for you."

Slightly startled by the harsh tone, he turned around. "Dad. I was looking for you too. What's up?"

Minato's frown was perturbing. "I had to make them put the food in the smaller room since there's no space in the main hall."

"Ah, yeah. It must be dusty in there, though," mused Naruto.

"Yes, because a certain someone hasn't been cleaning around properly."

Naruto looked away.

"I wiped the tables, but clean around a bit until people start asking for food," Minato quietly said, but he sounded frustrated.

Naruto nodded, raking a hand through his hair while he started heading to said room. He didn't like it very much in there. It had only two windows, so it was much darker than the other, and the sculptures and paintings around were unnecessary and disturbing. At least that's what Naruto thought. Minato seemed to like them very much. If that was the case, he could do the cleaning himself, though Naruto wouldn't dare voice these thoughts. His father wasn't a hot-blooded person, but he could be very scary when he wanted to be. Cleanup was Naruto's duty, and he was fully aware that he was not a kid anymore and this was his profession. And he did take it seriously. It's just, sometimes, he was overwhelmed by constantly doing this.

He grabbed a mop, a bucket full of water and a rag to dust from one of the cabinets in the bathroom. Under his father's watchful gaze, he proceeded moving to the other room. He pushed the door open with his shoulder, then closed it with a foot and put the cleaner bucket down, dipping the mop in it, then squeezing the water out with the help of the attached wringer.

He started cleaning from one corner, the tables were lined up in the middle of the room, and when he looked to the other side of them to see how many sculptures he had to dust, he realized there was another figure standing by the biggest statue.

It felt odd to recognize the person just by seeing their hair. The black trench coat was helpful, too.

"You're here again?" He said, though the sentence sounded more like a statement rather than a question. He hadn't thought of confronting him before, but this seemed like a perfect opportunity to do so. He wanted to know _why_.

Only then did the other man turn around, wearing a perfectly oblivious face. "What?"

Naruto let go of the mop, wincing when it hit the ground with a loud clatter. "I work here. I've seen you in at least twenty funerals in the past two or three months."

The culprit made a face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you even dare deny it," Naruto took a few steps toward him. "Do you take pleasure in watching people grieve their deceased loved ones?" He narrowed his eyes, gripping the edges of a table. "Or you might be a necrophiliac."

The disgusted frown was there without a doubt, even though it disappeared within seconds. "I imagine I could find better places to violate dead bodies if that were the case." He turned back around, continuing to stare at the carved piece of stone. "I've heard cemeteries are completely unoccupied at night."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you said you visit cemeteries every day," Naruto bit out. "What's making you come here?"

"Food is good."

Naruto's mouth hung open. The nerve this guy had! This was a place built for people to grieve, not to stuff their faces just for the hell of it. And Naruto could tell he didn't need free food either. Even if he did, the town had an excellent quality soup kitchen. Crashing services had nothing to do with being in need. Whatever sympathy he had for the guy vanished rapidly. "You're lying."

The irritated reply came. "Don't you have cleaning to do?"

"I'm not doing anything until you tell me why you keep coming," Naruto exclaimed. "It's like you have a morbid hobby of seeing dead bodies and attending memorials. Are you demented or something?"

"Hm."

He crossed his arms. "Is that a yes?"

"You want to hear a reason?" The guy turned around once more. The annoyed expression had left its place to one of mockery. "People tend to be vulnerable when they lose someone."

Naruto felt his throat tighten. What was this guy getting at?

"Men, too. Despite how strong they try to look."

"...So you come to pick up men? Is that really your reason why?"

The guy shrugged. "No."

"Then why did you tell me that?!" Naruto half-yelled, feeling on edge. He didn't like where this conversation was going. Plus, he wasn't able to learn anything.

"I wondered what your reaction would be like."

Exhaling sharply, Naruto stomped his foot. As much as he wanted to make him talk, he couldn't risk keeping him here any longer. If he really was some sort of maniac and something happened to other people who came to the funeral, the blame would be on Naruto. "Look, you're making me uncomfortable. Spill the beans or I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Then, there was silence. Only the sounds of chattering could be heard if you listened very carefully. Naruto looked at the guy straight in the eye. He wasn't expecting it, but the guy looked back. His dark, slightly hooded eyes were full of something Naruto couldn't quite put his finger on.

His father chose that moment to call out his name.

Naruto could feel his brows draw together, and he opened his mouth to say something, but at the last moment, he turned around and walked out of the room to see what his father wanted.

When he came back, the guy was gone. It was expected, he guessed, since he'd asked him to leave. He picked up the mop again, his gaze lingering on the spot where the other man had stood before he shook his head and tried to focus on cleaning the floor.

. . .

The phone was placed on a chair, and Naruto was bending over (and giving the corpse a healthy view of his ass) to choose a playlist on Spotify. His options were Fat Body, Smelly Body, Rotten Body and Hairy Body. Giving the dead guy a look over his shoulder, he decided he could go with the Hairy playlist. Of course, all playlists had been put together by him. The songs in them didn't vary much, maybe except for a few, but… he liked making new playlists anyway.

"Let's wash you, big guy," he grinned to himself. Nirvana's _Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle'_ s first lyrics played.

He started lathering the body. It was all so surreal to him. He was just a mortician in a small town, he was nothing special. He washed the dead, buried them, and talked to their families. It was the circle of life; you were born, you lived, and you died, whether you had affected people's lives or not.

Naruto didn't want to live like a pebble on the ground, just watching and not contributing to the world. Having to clean human remains after death took them away as a job, he had thought rather often about life during his adolescence. There were so many questions in his head about life, some he thought were doomed to be left unanswered.

"Mmm," he hummed a section from the song. Perhaps his job in the world was washing bodies. The reason why he was born. Even rats and bugs had their reasons. Still, he was determined to at least make the best of living and enjoy himself.

If there were something else other than dying alone that scared him, it was dying unhappy. Being in his death bed and realizing that he had lived an unhappy life… He didn't want that. Life was cruel to everyone, and he'd come to terms with the fact that there was always going to be pain. He faced people suffering everyday - but at least he tried to make it easier for them, even if just tiny bit. That's how he found happiness for himself.

He briefly wondered what others thought about this. His dad had lived all his life in this town, and his grandfather too. Naruto's own friends seemed pretty happy with their lives, most of them were going to college, and a few hunting for jobs. What about the funeral-crasher? What were his motives? What did he expect from life?

The sudden silence in the room startled him. Whatever song had been playing had stopped. His soapy gloves dripped to the floor, and he sighed.

He realized his phone had died. There was a charger somewhere upstairs, maybe in the kitchen, but he wanted to finish his duty first. The yawns leaving his mouth every once in a while didn't help either. Why couldn't people wait until morning to die?

Minato had carried the TV upstairs the other day to distract a bunch of children, so watching TV was out of question too. He had his laptop, though.

"Gimme a minute, big guy," he said, removing the gloves and throwing them into the trash can. Leisurely, he made his way to the laptop on the table, scratching his right arm and trying to stifle an oncoming yawn.

He stretched his back as the laptop booted. He didn't have much work left, maybe 20 minutes or so. He guessed he could watch some sitcom. There was a notification saying he had a new e-mail, so he clicked that while thinking about his options.

"Porn?" He read out loud, his eyebrows raised in shock and amusement. They offered a 2-week premium membership for the ones who signed up before 12 a.m. that day.

They said _free_. Like what any other male would do, he clicked on it, the poor corpse long forgotten.

It took only a minute and a half to make an account. Before he knew, he was looking at a huge porn archive - the categories were so diverse that he almost choked on his spit. It would be a waste to not give it a try, right? So, he clicked on a random one. Only half a minute later he realized it was a two-hour-long compilation. His brain was being a little slow, so he blinked a few times in an attempt to wake up.

There were live streams going on, only for Premium members. He guessed it was good. He could close it whenever he wanted to, and the idea of the other person doing whatever they did the exact second Naruto saw them was somewhat thrilling.

He couldn't choose, though. The thumbnails all looked pretty much the same. Naked girls, naked guys, naked girls _and_ guys. Searching eyes yearned for something different. He was feeling sort of quirky, and wanted to see something engrossing.

Like every good porn site, they had interesting stuff too. Naruto generally wasn't a kinky person, but he felt like he wanted to watch something unusual. There were bloodplay videos, BDSM (oh, the classics) and some other shit Naruto had no idea about. He knew about the concept of cross-dressing, so he recognized it when he saw one of the streams containing a pale, naked person. Checking on the viewing number, he hoped it would be good and opened it.

The _guy_ was definitely nice to look at. He was wearing blue and gray striped thigh high socks. Naruto could see he had garters on, too. The skin of the exposed parts of his thighs were very pale, in contrast with the black surface beneath him. They looked smooth, like he could brush his hand against them and there would be no hair or dry patches of skin, though he knew cameras could make someone's skin have the illusion of being smooth.

The face wasn't shown, though he could only see the neck. Naruto's gaze wandered over the chest area, the flat stomach and the panties, which were halfway down his thighs. This was good.

Heaving a sigh, he decided he would watch this particular one and returned to washing the body after putting a new pair of gloves on.

The smell of soap filled the room. He'd intentionally dimmed the lights to create an eerie atmosphere as a joke while his father embalmed the body, but he'd forgotten to turn them back to their original state, and now it was just pure creepy with porn open and a dead body in the room.

"Mmm."

He tensed at hearing the quiet moan come from the speakers of his laptop. It was a throaty sound filled with pleasure. He tore his gaze from the body to give the screen a look.

And… wow. The person definitely seemed to be enjoying himself with that dildo.

As if hypnotized, he kept looking at it. His hands were moving, but he wasn't really sure what he was doing. He barely realized he'd moved to washing the legs while he watched hands roam over a pale chest, pinching a nipple before caressing their way down and wrapping around a fully erected cock. The black, lubed up toy was moving in and out of his glistening hole.

Naruto was… kind of... aroused.

He swallowed. Trying to block out the sounds, he removed the cloth covering the dead body's private parts.

Now, this was awkward. The guy had an erection too - which was something Naruto had seen before. It was something about the blood pooling down and swelling the penis…? Naruto hadn't listened very carefully when his dad had explained it in a scientific way. He knew it could happen, and that was it. But the timing for this guy to pop a chub couldn't be any weirder.

He grabbed a string and tied the swollen organ to a leg, securing the knot, then quickly washing him and starting to put his clothing on without even waiting for him to dry.

The panting noises were making Naruto flush. He checked the certificate again. This person had asked to be cremated, and Naruto had to drive him all the way to the crematorium at this ungodly hour. But first, he needed to take care of the rapidly growing problem in his pants.

He should've guessed this would happen. It was simple male physiology. Without a doubt, he would get hard if he heard a delicious moan filled with sin and pleasure, made by a man with a stupidly sexy body. He kinda wanted to see his face too. But if he didn't want his face to be shown, there wasn't much he could do.

He washed his hands and grabbed his laptop, unplugging it and carrying it upstairs in a hurry. He was glad his dad had left right after finishing his job. The door was crack open, and Naruto pushed it all the way with his right foot.

The bathroom was small, but it would do. He didn't want to waste time with willing his erection to die when it was almost fully hard. Just jerking off would be a lot quicker.

He placed the laptop on the toilet lid, then unbuckled his belt and almost tore away the zipper before pulling his jeans down. The pressure was partially gone - then the guy started moaning again, and Naruto _had to_ look, and God, was he leaking in a funeral house bathroom?

A hand found its way into Naruto's cotton briefs. He was so sensitive at this point, and even the slightest of touches were enough to leave him leaning against the wall and panting hard. He masturbated almost every day, so it definitely hadn't been that long. Why was he reacting this way?

Reaching out, he repositioned the laptop with his clean hand so he could see it better. The lower part of the guy's chin was visible now. Naruto looked down at his own swollen cock. His hand started pumping, fast and rough. He didn't think he could last much longer anyway.

If he wasn't mistaken, the guy's camera moved a bit. From what Naruto could see, he was on a bed and the camera was too, so he probably had a laptop. Was he aware of how his face was slowly being revealed?

From the teasing smirk on his lips, Naruto would guess yes. He was very much aware.

He changed his position so he was now riding the dildo. The hand on his cock gave a slow stroke, then gradually sped up, and by the time Naruto matched his pace, they were both out of breath.

With a muffled cry, Naruto reached his climax.

The guy followed him. Unlike Naruto, he had the opportunity to lay down and enjoy his post-orgasmic state. Naruto, on the other hand, quickly washed his hands and tucked himself away while trying hard not to curse at how pathetic this whole thing was.

When he was finally ready to close the live stream, he reached for the touchpad… and froze.

The guy's face was fully revealed now. With a completely flushed expression, hazy smile and slightly narrowed eyes, the infamous funeral-crasher looked straight into the camera.


	2. Chapter 2

A long time had passed since Naruto had last directed a funeral that hosted the notorious crasher. It wasn't like Naruto often thought about him coming back. At least, that's what he told himself. And if he had to be honest, he was starting to think that he had a slight obsession with the person. Whenever he was bored on duty, his first idea was to watch porn... of _him_. Most of the time, Minato was around, so he didn't dare leave the corpse on its own. But that was only _most of the time_. Whenever possible, he watched the live streams - he liked doing that especially at night when Minato took his time with the chemicals. It gave him plenty of alone time to slack off and flee to the bathroom. When he was home, in the confines of his own room, he watched some of the old streams, too. And the normal videos. He liked checking up on the guy's Twitter as well, though he never tweeted anything personal.

At some point, he started to think the guy would never return to the funeral home.

That was, until, he did.

It was just another day. Naruto didn't think it was special in any way, except that it was one of those rare times when his father was out of town for a couple of days and he had to take care of everything himself. He'd gotten a request to do a memorial service for the 10th death anniversary of a boy who'd died when he was 17. The thought of such a young person with so much potential passing away was heartbreaking. Naruto was only a couple of years older than him, and when he thought about his own future, he saw many things he wanted to do that the boy never had a chance to do himself. He had tried his best at arranging everything so the service would go as smooth as possible.

They had brought their own food. The family wasn't exactly big compared to most, but the deceased apparently had been a charming young man, because the small hall was full. When he read the guestbook to see who those people were, he learned that most of them were friends and relatives.

His breath hitched in his throat when his eyes stumbled upon the kinky funeral-crasher. However, Naruto didn't even need to speak with him to know something was off this time around. This wasn't just an ordinary ' _I'll awkwardly watch everyone then go home_ ' case. The guy was beside a woman, which was new considering he often stayed away from everyone. Naruto thought their nose and eyes looked similar, though the woman had less pronounced cheekbones. And the guy was… sad. It was the first time Naruto had seen a real hint of sorrow on his pale face.

He couldn't take his eyes off him.

There was this huge indescribable feeling bubbling in his stomach and taking over his ability to think straight. He wanted to be alone with him so they could talk, but that seemed unlikely since the man had made it clear he wasn't interested in opening up to Naruto. But Naruto wanted to talk about why he was absent, why he came here in the first place, what was up with those live streams - fuck, the guy was hot, even with his body covered. Naruto was torn between anxiously running away and trying to act oblivious to everything.

Whoever the woman was, she seemed to be a relative, or at least they knew each other, because the man started talking to her all of a sudden. She briefly nodded, her eyes watering a bit. Naruto wasn't sure if he should approach them to comfort her.

As he took care of small chores to distract himself, he observed the people around. Unlike most memorials, there wasn't anyone crying. There was a single picture present at the entrance; the dead boy, and beside him, someone who looked like a younger version of him, posing together with the older one's arm wrapped around the other. Naruto guessed they could be brothers. He was looking at the frame from afar and he couldn't see the whole thing very clearly, but he felt like he knew that face. The younger boy's. The smile on his chubby face was completely strange to him, but those eyes were not.

"Excuse me?"

With a startle, Naruto angled toward the person that called him. It was the woman he'd seen with the funeral-crasher earlier.

"Where can I find the bathroom?"

"It's right next to the kitchen. Let me escort you," he quietly replied in full professionality. The woman nodded, brushing her dark, long hair to the side and waiting for Naruto to lead the way.

They walked out of the room and Naruto noted that the front door was open. The sweet smell of freshly mown grass wafted inside.

"Here," he gestured to the door. "Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with."

"Thank you," she quickly nodded. Just as she was about to take a step into the bathroom, she stopped, looking like she was considering something. "Actually." She turned back around and looked Naruto in the eye for the first time. "I'd appreciate it if you could have a talk with my son. He's about your age… and I worry about him. He's really distracted."

Naruto blinked. "O-of course. Is there anything specific I should mention or… avoid mentioning?"

"I can't think of anything. He's normally a collected person." She stopped to take a deep breath, her black purse swinging as she moved her arm. "He was very young when we lost his brother. Coming here must've brought back memories."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "Surely. I'll go check up on him."

"He has dark hair and has a black coat on. You'll probably recognize him straight away, we look alike." The woman offered a gentle, appreciative smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Naruto smiled back. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"He was standing by the larger window a moment ago. His name is Sasuke."

 _Sasuke_. "Got it."

As they parted ways, Naruto felt his heart beat erratically in his chest. The mother seemed unaware that her son came here every once in a while, and Naruto didn't have the guts to enlighten her about this matter. After all, he could never understand what it was like to lose a child. Throwing something else to the emotional mix was completely unnecessary.

With these thoughts in mind, he returned to the hall. The room seemed darker than it was when he had left, or maybe it was his imagination… He needed to find Sasuke.

It was funny how casually he had learned the mysterious man's name. He would be lying if he said he wasn't curious, but knowing the guy wouldn't just reveal his name for nothing, Naruto had used nicknames to address him.

Then, there was this thing about how the guy liked wearing female clothes and jerk off on live stream. Naruto didn't judge - actually, judging would suggest that he had double standards since he had watched those videos countless times. But he had seen his face only a couple of times… and whenever he thought about it, he felt hot. _Sasuke_ looked absolutely gorgeous on camera.

There were hundreds of questions he wanted to ask, yet, the pretty face standing in front of him with a distressed countenance stopped him from doing so. He noted that the man was still trying to look as composed as possible. Still, there was no way his method to compose himself would work on Naruto, who was experienced when it came to understanding pain and being able to comfort.

The dark eyes were focused on a specific angel statue. He took a few steps to enter Sasuke's earshot, standing right behind the other, but keeping a safe distance. "Hello."

The dark bangs gracefully swished to the side as Sasuke did a little twirl to look at him with a skeptical gaze. "It's you again."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, viewing the statue for a couple of seconds. He didn't find anything interesting in it. It was one of the more detailed ones, and cleaning it was a bitch. "You haven't been around for a while."

Sasuke's gaze hardened. "Go away."

"I'm not here to talk about that," he calmly explained. This was a delicate situation that had to be carefully dealt with. What worried him was that each person was different, and this particular person was a complete enigma. Naruto feared hurting him with words. He couldn't just be blunt like the first time they had spoken.

Death was always a sensitive topic. Some needed to vent, and Naruto gladly listened to them. It was tougher with the ones who needed to be talked to. Naruto tried being gentle yet straightforward with grieving people at all times, making them digest and accept the truth without sugarcoating it. He decided to stick with that plan.

"Then what?"

"It's my job to offer solace to those who need it. You look like you could use a cup of tea."

"I'm fine."

Naruto took a deep breath. "Your mother asked me to talk to you."

Sasuke tensed. "She did?"

"Don't worry." The late afternoon sun seeped in through the windows and directly shone on the spot Naruto stood on. He narrowed his eyes, dazzled. "I didn't tell her anything about… _you know_."

"Hn," Sasuke looked down, offering a nod. When their eyes met again, he had this unreadable look in his eyes. "Fine. I need some fresh air anyway."

Naruto smiled. "Let's go, then."

They walked toward the kitchen, Naruto leading the way. Sasuke's steps were calculated. Once they arrived, Naruto got two mugs from one of the cupboards. They had regular teacups too, but these red ones were his favorites.

"I thought you were going to ask me to leave when you approached."

"Ah… No," Naruto awkwardly said.

Sasuke shrugged. "Hm. I don't remember seeing a kitchen that time we came here for my brother's funeral." Sasuke left the room for a second, dragging a stool from the hallway and into the kitchen. He sat down on it while Naruto put the tea bags into the cups.

"It was a pantry before," Naruto explained, stealing a glance. "Dad decided we needed a kitchen here a couple of years ago."

"I see."

"Do you want sugar in your tea?"

"No."

Naruto put the electric kettle down. He grabbed the cups and held one out for Sasuke to take. "Here."

"Thank you," Sasuke politely said.

"You're welcome. Do you want to go to the bigger hall? Or we could sit in the front yard."

Sasuke took a tentative sip from his tea. "Front yard is fine."

Naruto let Sasuke walk in front of him. As they strolled the narrow corridor and passed through the gate, he was trying to find an appropriate topic to talk about. It had been 10 years since Sasuke's brother's death. The wound, even though it probably still stung, was not a fresh one. He wondered how the conversation would go, and if Sasuke would reveal the true reason why he was so determined to frequently come to funerals and memorials.

They took a seat in the bench, and he suddenly realized he had never told his own name. "I'm Naruto, by the way," he exclaimed.

"I know."

"Ah. 'Course you do. You probably heard my dad talk to me." He grimaced slightly. "He tends to be loud sometimes."

"Yeah."

He should have known Sasuke wasn't the type to start talking about things the moment he was asked to. Naruto needed to urge him to open up somehow. "So, Sasuke," he started. "Is there anything you want to get off your chest? Do you want to speak or do you want me to do the talking?"

Sasuke stared down at the brown liquid in his cup. "I don't want to talk about it. I've… come to terms with my brother's death." His voice got gravelly toward the end of the sentence. "And… I've listened to your speeches many times."

"Right," Naruto mumbled, watching Sasuke's face intently. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

For a long while, Sasuke remained quiet. He occasionally looked up whenever a car passed by, or when someone came out of the building. Naruto thought Sasuke looked a lot better when he wasn't so closed off. He had only seen that expression on screen, but… still.

Finally, Sasuke cleared his throat. He looked straight ahead. "Can you give me a tour of the whole funeral home?"

"Huh?" Naruto was confused. "You mean… downstairs?"

"Yes." Sasuke said, looking at Naruto, and Naruto swore there was a vague hint of madness in Sasuke's eyes. The quirked down lips twitched and Sasuke smirked. It looked a lot like the one he'd offered at the end of the first live stream Naruto had watched. "Are you freaked out?"

"No," he tried to keep his cool. "I just don't understand why you wanna see the room down there. And we don't let random people down."

"I'm sure you could if you wanted to."

"Why would I?" Naruto raised a questioning brow. "I wasn't going to bring it up, but remember our talk the last time you were here? I have no reason to trust you."

Sasuke took a sharp breath. "You don't understand."

"That's why I can't let you," Naruto argued, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "I feel like you're using me to feed your fixation with funerals or dead bodies or whatever."

"I… I don't have a fixation with dead bodies." He abruptly stood up. Naruto couldn't see his face. "I'm sorry that I made you feel that way."

The empty tea cups were left on the bench as Naruto followed him suit and grabbed his wrist to keep him from leaving. The other didn't object.

"Sasuke, look, I didn't mean to make you feel guilty," he quickly explained, seeing the way Sasuke's eyes widened. "You come here all the time and I still don't know why. I'm just… _really_ curious. I promise I will take you down there if you give me a legitimate reason."

Sasuke's wrist beneath the coat's fabric was warm. Naruto unintentionally studied the skin. It was soft, just like how he had always imagined it to be. And that hand… he had watched it hold sex toys and caress that body and masturbate many times.

He swallowed thickly.

"The thing is," Sasuke hoarsely said. "I can't explain it to you. I come here," he gestured to the building with his free hand. "And I think about death. I try to figure out why I was born. It makes me feel uneasy."

Naruto looked at him like he wanted to unravel his soul. "...You like it?"

"Not particularly. But my feet drag me here whenever I see there's a funeral," Sasuke whispered. His eyes were searching, hoping.

Letting go of his wrist, Naruto nodded. He felt crazy because of what he was about to say. "Do you really want to see the basement?"

"Yes."

"...Come back after the memorial's over. I'll show you." He didn't really understand why Sasuke wanted to see the room downstairs. What he could understand was that thinking about death and trying to find answers was something he did too… and he wanted to help Sasuke. A lot. He wanted to help Sasuke and wanted Sasuke to ask him for help. Besides, he was going to be there, too. If Sasuke really was a maniac, Naruto could easily knock out his petite body.

"Thank you, Naruto."

It was the first time Sasuke said his name out loud. Strangely, he felt acknowledged. They headed for the funeral home again in comfortable silence.

…

He glanced out the window. The sun had almost set. The room was almost fully clean now, and he watched in awe as the orange and red sunbeams mixed and created strange hues and patterns on the particular statue Sasuke had been watching when Naruto first confronted him. In hindsight, Sasuke always seemed to stand close to this spot. Naruto had never put much thought into it.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he noted that the memorial had ended almost 3 hours ago. Sasuke was nowhere in sight. Had he changed his mind? But he had seemed so eager to see what was in the basement.

Naruto locked the door and took a deep breath. It felt lonely in this place without his dad around. Even when Minato wasn't there, there was usually someone else. People came by to ask all kinds of things, coffin prices being the most popular question, and his friends occasionally stopped by too, especially to see how Naruto was after a busy week.

He sniffled. The electric kettle was still boiling in the kitchen. He had forgotten to power it off. To not waste the hot water, he decided to drink some tea, but changed his mind at the last minute and opted for hot chocolate.

His footsteps reverberated as Naruto entered the bigger hall. He liked this room better than the other one. The walls were white for starters. The dark green in the other room, on the other hand, smothered his soul.

Holding a big mug in hands, he seated himself at the long desk far on the other side of the room. People stood behind it, right in front of the black cross that hung on the wall, and gave their eulogy speeches when they held the memorial here. There were dents on the wooden surface. He traced them with his fingers as he took a sip from his beverage.

Somebody's voice echoed. "Hello."

"Hi," he replied without looking up. "I was starting to think you weren't going to come."

Sasuke sat down in a pew, far away from Naruto. "I was at the cemetery."

"How'd it go?"

"Good. I waited for the others to leave. Sorry if I made you wait."

Naruto's eyes found Sasuke's. "It's fine."

For a while, he studied the way Sasuke looked around the room, purposefully avoiding having his gaze meet Naruto's. "Are you going to preach to me?"

"Hm. Do you want me to?" He put his arms on the desk, joining his hands on the surface.

"No. I just thought that was your intention when I saw you sitting there. I'd like to hear it if you have something good to say, though." He looked up at Naruto.

They looked at each other. Naruto wasn't quite sure what Sasuke expected him to do. His usual speeches were never going to work on this man, that was certain. And… Sasuke didn't want to be comforted, did he? Then why was he even here in the first place?

He cleared his throat, and took a sip from his drink before speaking. " _Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted_."

Sasuke leaned back in his seat. "Is that from the Bible?"

"Yeah. One of the most popular verses for funerals."

"Are you a religious person?"

Naruto watched Sasuke chew his lower lip as he waited for an answer. "That's a tough question," Naruto ended up saying.

"I see."

From this distance, he could barely read Sasuke's expressions. He got to his feet, ignoring the screeching sound the chair made as he pushed it back, and descended the steps. Sasuke carefully eyed him while Naruto took a seat in the row in front of where Sasuke was. He turned around, so he was sitting sideways. He could see Sasuke's face.

"…Doesn't it drive you crazy?" Sasuke mumbled, eyes locked with Naruto's.

"What?"

"The idea that we're all going to die!" Sasuke said with much greater intensity than Naruto had ever seen him show when speaking. "You see dead people everyday. I mean," he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Why are we living? What's the purpose of all this if we're going to end up under the ground no matter what?"

Naruto was taken aback by Sasuke's tone. "Sasuke," he said. "Are you thinking about this all the time?"

The answer was a precise, "Yes."

Naruto took a deep breath. "I don't think I'm the person to give you an answer. I don't think anyone can." He chuckled. "Me being a mortician doesn't mean that I have any more idea about life and death than any other human does. And… if you ask for my personal opinion, I don't think anyone has figured out _why_ we're living." He scratched his cheek. "Some believe that this world's temporary and we'll be rewarded for what we do here. Religious people. Um… How do I put this. I'm not saying that religion is a lie. They're actually good. I've met many people who managed to stay strong because of their belief."

Sasuke looked baffled.

"What I'm saying is," he shifted in his seat. "You… I guess you gotta believe in something. I had a friend in high school who believed her life purpose was to find 'the one'. Her soulmate or something. She's travelling the world right now, still in search of that person."

"I don't get it," Sasuke scrunched his nose. "What will happen then? If she finds what she's looking for?"

"Don't know. Never asked. But I imagine she'll find another purpose."

"That doesn't make any sense." Sasuke crossed his arms. Naruto watched the lines on Sasuke's face; they looked nothing like the ones that were caused by pleasure. He often found himself comparing the two versions of Sasuke. One of them looked so carefree… only focused on playing with himself and sometimes teasing the watchers. This Sasuke - the one whom Naruto was talking to - was so different.

Naruto decided that he liked both sides.

"Of course it doesn't. It doesn't have to be reasonable. We're weak beings, Sasuke. You have to find a way to survive. In my opinion, we're all just getting by in the end."

He was rewarded with a skeptical blink.

"Belief makes us stronger."

"What do you believe in?"

Naruto gently smiled. "I'm still trying to figure that out, like you. But… I think I believe that I gotta enjoy life while I still can."

"Are you enjoying life? You said working here is boring."

"Yeah, but… It's the little things, yanno? For instance, I'm talking to you right now and I'm enjoying it. The boring part of the job is a small price I have to pay."

"I'm still very confused," Sasuke quietly said after a while. "But I think I understand where you're coming from. Sort of."

"Good." He reached for one of Sasuke's hands. He did this sometimes, holding the hand of the person he tried comforting. It felt different with Sasuke. More intimate. "I'm sorry about your brother."

"...Thank you."

"It may sound selfish of me to say this, but you shouldn't make your mother worry, Sasuke. You know she's suffering too, right?" He gave the hand a squeeze.

Surprisingly, Sasuke took it calmly. "I know. She just wants me to have a good life. To go back to school."

"Did you drop out?"

"Yes. In my second year."

"Why?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Because of _this_. I thought studying was in vain."

"Hm." Naruto pulled his hand back. Even changing the course of his life just because he thought there was death in the end… Naruto didn't know what he should say, it was obvious Sasuke needed help, but was scared that talking about it would make Sasuke leave, so he decided to keep the conversation going. Stopping just when Sasuke was opening up would be a loss. "I never went to college. But I had a job ready for me. Do you work?"

"I used to. It paid well, too." He swallowed. "But I quit. I work part-time now."

"You… enjoy it? Your part-time job?" Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke was talking about the streams he did on porn sites or if he had another part-time job.

"Yeah. I guess." Sasuke licked his lips. "It's better than my previous one. Pays less, but I'm more comfortable doing it."

Naruto felt his face heat up. Sasuke could be talking about something entirely different, but he _did_ seem comfortable jerking off in front of a camera. "...You're not gonna tell me what your job is?"

Sasuke shook his head. "You wouldn't want to know."

...Oh.

"Umm. The basement. You wanna see it now?" Naruto quickly changed the subject.

A smirk spread on Sasuke's lips. "I was wondering when you'd ask that."

"I gotta be honest, I really don't understand why you want this. But I promised your mom I would help you, so," he started walking to the door.

"Why'd you bring up my mom?"

"Huh?" Naruto gave Sasuke a look. "Oh, crap. Wait, I forgot my mug on the desk."

As he sprinted to get the item, he could swear that he heard Sasuke mutter 'idiot'. What was with this guy?

They paid the kitchen a visit to drop the mug off, and slowly descended the stairs, Sasuke following Naruto. He found the light switch on the wall without fumbling too much and suddenly, the whole room was open for display.

He didn't need to tell Sasuke anything. The man invited himself and strolled inside, appearing to be in some sort of daze as his eyes widened, trying to take everything in. It was oddly fun to watch him walk around.

"So, Sasuke," spoke Naruto. "You like it in here?"

"There's nothing likable about this place," Sasuke replied in full honesty. "But as a matter of fact, yes. I do."

Naruto pressed his lips together, unable to come up with something to say in reply. He leaned against the wall behind his back. The surface of it was cold. He could feel it through his shirt.

Sasuke reached out a pale hand and let his fingertips brush the metal table. They lingered there for a while.

"What are you thinking about?"

Licking his lips, Sasuke looked up, his gaze so intense that it was almost penetrating. "Death." He inhaled sharply. "This is where they washed my brother too...?"

"Most likely." Naruto sniffled. One of the small windows was open. He pushed himself away from the wall and went to close it.

"That's interesting."

As Naruto groped for the window handle, he heard some rattle in the back. By the time he drew the curtains and turned around, the noises had stopped. Sasuke was now laying on the table, his hands joined together upon his stomach. His eyes were on the ceiling.

Naruto gulped. "...What are you doing?"

Sasuke's lips twitched. "Rehearsal." He cracked one eye open. "Have you ever done this?"

"Uh…" Naruto scratched his cheek in confusion. "No."

"You should."

He didn't know how he felt about the idea of laying on a table that he had used hundreds of times to wash dead people. It felt… wrong. Not because he was afraid of dying, but he considered that place reserved for those without worries anymore.

But Sasuke was there, and he was very much alive, watching him try to decide with amusedly arched eyebrows.

"You don't automatically die when you climb up here, you know," Sasuke stated matter-of-factly. Naruto ignored the mocking undertone lying in his voice.

Once again, he was unable to come up with a retort. He walked toward the table right next to the one Sasuke was laying on top of. He hadn't bothered with separating them after the funeral for Gaara's grandmother.

First, he put his hand on it. He didn't remember a time he had touched it without having gloves on. He was the one sterilizing them, so he had no worries about bacteria. Still, it was incredibly disturbing. His body was about to make contact with a surface many dead bodies and naked butts had touched.

He looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. His eyes were shut tight, and he seemed to be thinking about something if the crease between his brows indicated anything. Naruto watched his chest go up and down steadily.

With fluid movements, he raised himself, using the edge of the table as leverage. He slid back until he was sitting in the middle, then slowly lifted his legs. His upper body was the last to rest on the table .

The lights were blinding. He blinked a few times, but it didn't work and he had to cock his head in a way so that the lamp didn't make his eyes water. By doing so, he unintentionally ended up facing Sasuke's ear. If he moved an inch forward, his nose would touch the thick, black hair draped over it.

Sasuke mirrored his movement. Their eyes locked, and Naruto could feel Sasuke's breath on his chin. "How does it feel?"

Naruto shifted, putting some distance between them. Not that he minded Sasuke's close proximity… Just the idea of being on this table made goosebumps break out on his skin. "Pretty normal, I guess," he mused. "I don't feel dead yet."

"Hmm." Sasuke must have found the position quite uncomfortable. One of his hands went up to rub at his neck, then he rolled to his side. Naruto was able to see his full face now. "It's very quiet."

"Yeah. It's always like that in here. The dead, unfortunately, can't speak."

"What if they did? What do you think they'd say?"

"Umm…" Naruto lowered his eyes to Sasuke's trench coat. "Don't bury me?"

Sasuke sneered. "That's all?"

"I don't know!" Naruto frowned, feeling defensive all of a sudden. "I've never been dead, remember?"

"Me neither."

"So what's your guess?"

Sasuke took a short moment to think about his answer. "Stop fighting over stupid things, moron. Life is short, and death is coming."

"There's no point in saying that after dying, though, is there?" Naruto asked.

"It's just a guess." He put one arm under his head for support.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

Naruto was encouraged by what they were doing. "Don't get me wrong, but have you ever seen someone about your problem?"

"Like, a shrink?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. It didn't work." He rubbed his arm. "Don't you ever get sick of constantly being around dead people?"

Naruto smiled, letting Sasuke change the subject. "Sometimes. It can be overwhelming. But I like my job."

"It's gruesome."

"I don't think it's as gruesome as most people think it is. My job is taking care of the dead. They don't suffer. This is the last stop. But there's so many people suffering in the world, Sasuke," he whispered. "I see 'em whenever I go to the hospital to pick someone up from the morgue. I'll never know how doctors can stay sane."

"My brother was preparing for the medical school exams."

Naruto reached for Sasuke's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Your job is also incredibly boring," Sasuke looked at their joined hands right before Naruto retreated his own.

"Heh. That might be accurate. But like I said before. I find ways to entertain myself."

"Such as?" Sasuke asked. He seemed genuinely interested in the answer.

"Let's see," Naruto drawled. "I talk to the bodies, sometimes. Vent even. It's like a therapy session, really. Only you don't pay for a therapist. You get paid instead."

Sasuke's lips quirked upward. "I like your way of thinking."

Naruto shook his head in disapproval. "I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, I have a TV. It's somewhere upstairs now, but its place is here. Dad doesn't like it much. He thinks it's disrespecting the dead or something, unless I'm watching the news. I also bring my laptop from time to time. We even have Wi-Fi here," he chuckled. "It actually belongs to one of the shops across the road, but they let me use it."

"What do you do with a laptop in a place like this?"

"I watch stuff. Mostly… um, movies." He shrugged, looking away. "It's not the ideal pastime, but it's enough to distract me when I'm fed up."

Sasuke sat up. "Is your laptop here?"

"Yes. It's there, on the wooden table. I haven't had time to take it back home since I've been busy here all week." He ran a hand through his hair.

The other man jumped off, heading to said table. Naruto couldn't see what he was doing. Sasuke's body blocked his view, but he guessed from his movements that he was opening the laptop. Almost a minute passed before he got uncomfortable from just lying here. "Uh. What are you doing?"

Sasuke looked at him over his shoulder. "Checking your browser history."

"What?!" He dashed forward. "Wait-"

"You watch porn here," Sasuke murmured.

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling his face burn in deep embarrassment. "I mean, no, I—why are you even…?"

"I was wondering what _movies_ you were talking about, since you started blushing. And you said your laptop's here for more than a week." He turned around, his thumb directed toward the screen. "See? This one was watched yesterday. And…" He froze. "You watched my live stream the other day."

At this point, Naruto was absolutely sure his face resembled a tomato. How mortifying it was for someone to know he watched porn while washing corpses. _And_ it was even worse since Sasuke now knew Naruto knew what he did for a living. He seemed surprised, but calm. Naruto found it peculiar. "...Aren't you, I don't know, confused?"

"Why? Because you know I earn money through porn?"

Naruto scratched his cheek, rubbing it when he realized how harshly he did it. "Well, yeah? I mean, you're not weirded out? How come?"

"I'm not ashamed of what I do," he narrowed his eyes. "But I should've guessed. I knew something about the way you look at me changed. You didn't know before, did you?"

"No. I found out while you were away…"

"I don't judge that you watch my stuff. That would be weird. And I'm not going to comment on you doing it here," Sasuke quickly added. He took a step forward. "So. Did you like it?"

Naruto's breathing was erratic, and his palms were sweaty. He believed Sasuke. Somehow, he knew Sasuke really wouldn't judge. They had some sort of mutual understanding. Naruto didn't say anything bad about Sasuke attending random funerals and it felt safe to think Sasuke wouldn't say anything about Naruto's unusual pastime activity.

"It was good," he muttered, turning away from Sasuke.

A throaty laugh left Sasuke's mouth. "You're cute."

Naruto ignored how his heart started beating even faster. "You're good at what you're doing, if that's what you wanted to hear."

"Am I?" Naruto heard a footstep, and the floorboards squeaked."What exactly made you realize that, if I may ask?" Sasuke's voice sounded clearer, indicating that he'd gotten closer to him.

Naruto busied himself with organizing the glove and mask boxes standing before him. "I don't know. Just a general observation."

"I see." Another footstep. "Did you like what I wore?"

"Which ones?"

"Ah. So you watched me more than once."

Naruto wanted to disappear.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Naruto," Sasuke softly breathed out. His fingers wrapped around Naruto's wrist that held a box, perhaps mirroring what Naruto had done when they were having tea, and coaxed him into letting it go. Sasuke's hand was soft against his skin. "Do you want to know what I did before I started doing this job?"

"What?"

"I was a prostitute," Sasuke said.

Naruto let out a surprised breath and turned around to see Sasuke's expression. Nothing indicated any shape of embarrassment. Sasuke looked pretty calm about it. His eyes were warm, waiting for an answer from Naruto.

"Heh," Naruto managed to let out. "...Why did you stop?"

"It's a tough job. This one's easier, and it pays well too."

Naruto nodded.

"The only downside is I don't get to interact much. I don't complain, but the thoughts about death haunt me more often than not when I'm alone," he admitted.

"Don't you have, like, friends?" Naruto asked. "I'm sure you could get a boyfriend too if you wanted."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in thought. "I'm not especially good at acquiring or maintaining either of those things."

Shifting his weight from one feet to another, Naruto continued looking into Sasuke's eyes. "I have friends. But my job can be demanding so we don't hang out often."

"Don't you feel… lonely?"

Knitting his brows, Naruto shook his head. "I don't know. Haven't thought about that."

Sasuke's fingers let go of Naruto as he moved to sit on the table again. Naruto, for some reason, followed. Now that he had done it once, he felt like he had broken a taboo. He felt no guilt when he laid down next to where Sasuke sat.

"I liked the blue ones," Naruto spoke, breaking the heavy silence in the air. "Blue and grey thigh highs. Your shirt was blue too."

"I like them," Sasuke agreed.

Naruto hummed. "You have many clothes?"

"I do." Sasuke said, angling his body to see Naruto. "Do you want to see what I'm wearing under this coat?"

At the thought, Naruto felt his mouth go dry. "You go out wearing female clothes?"

"Yes."

Being deliberately slow, Sasuke undid the buttons one by one. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off those delicate fingers even if he wanted to. There was something strangely captivating about them, and as the grey shirt underneath was revealed, he felt his blood boil.

It took Sasuke almost a minute to completely get rid of the coat. He put it next to himself on the table, and took his shoes off, his hands undoing his belt.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked. For a moment, he almost couldn't recognize his own voice. It sounded thick and gravelly.

"I want you to see my socks and underwear," Sasuke said, a light flush adorning his cheeks. This time, his actions were hurried rather than teasing. He unbuckled his belt and lowered the zipper.

When he was finally done, all Naruto could do was to stare and will himself not to gape. Sasuke was sitting on his butt with his knees bent and legs to either side. His skin was completely smooth and very pale, though goosebumps had broken out because of the cold surface of the table. The questions Naruto had about whether he had hair on his legs or not was answered by the scenery before him. He wore pink panties that showed the outline of his cock and balls.

"Wow," he said. "I mean… wow."

Sasuke offered a gentle smile. "Do you like the camera version or seeing it live better?"

"This is much better." He answered without even thinking.

Naruto let his eyes roam over Sasuke's bare arms, his covered chest, then his stomach, which wasn't very muscled as far as he knew, but it was nice and flat. He also imagined the skin to be soft - just like his hands and arms.

He felt Sasuke's eyes follow his own. If the way Sasuke slowly lifted his shirt all the way to the nipples indicated anything, he knew what Naruto was thinking. "You can touch if you want."

Naruto pushed himself up slightly. Did he want to touch? Yes. Was it okay? Apparently.

His fingers tentatively swept across the expanse of Sasuke's stomach. It was warm and soft, just like he had thought it would be. His palm met the skin too. Before he knew it, he was crawling forward to plant a kiss on the skin.

A soft sigh left Sasuke's lips.

Motivated by the reaction, Naruto let his lips wander over Sasuke's body. He wasn't thinking about his actions. He just let himself do whatever he wanted. Kissing, licking, then some more kissing.

A hand found Naruto's hair, weakly grabbing the blond locks. It was faint, but he could feel Sasuke leading him to the spots he wanted to be kissed. His tongue trailed upward, leaving a wet trail behind. When Sasuke urged him to lick one of his nipples, Naruto didn't deny him.

"Naruto…" Sasuke mewled. The hand had tightened and was starting to tug on his hair. Naruto pressed his lips to the middle of Sasuke's chest, starting to caress a soft thigh while he kissed the knuckles of the hand holding the hem of the shirt, then moved on to the neck. "Mhm."

"What is it that you're doing, Sasuke?" He asked after lightly sucking on the sensitive flesh below Sasuke's ear. "Are you… seducing me?"

Instead of giving an answer, Sasuke let go of Naruto's hair and laid down, though his gaze never left Naruto's. The change of angle gave Naruto a good view of the damp spot on Sasuke's panties - and the somewhat grown bulge underneath.

"Or you're making me seduce you." He put some distance between them. There was a dirty little itch keeping him from moving further. Sasuke was… well, very attractive. And the nights he had spent watching Sasuke jerk off or fuck himself with various toys had proved he was more than attracted to him.

The problem was, despite all that, they were in a funeral home.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke questioned, his brows furrowed together in concern. "Are you a virgin?"

Naruto crossed his legs beneath him. "No."

"What is it, then?"

"I…" He averted his gaze because it kept shifting toward Sasuke's underwear. "Look, I'm just… I don't know if I'm comfortable doing this."

Sasuke brushed the bangs by his eyes aside and tucked them behind his ear, revealing a sharp cheekbone. "You're uncomfortable because this is wrong."

Naruto pressed his lips together.

"You were very into it a minute ago," Sasuke huskily said, rising a bit and getting closer to Naruto. "Doesn't it feel good? The feeling of doing something society would find indecent. Hm?" He reached out and traced Naruto's jawline with his index finger.

"It's… I don't know. I guess I have boundaries." Naruto watched Sasuke place his hands on his thighs. The hands there felt unfamiliar, but good. "Why do you want to do this anyway? I'm just a random guy working here."

"You said it yourself. We gotta enjoy life while we still can." He pressed a soft kiss to Naruto's cheek. "And I thought letting go of an opportunity to have sex with someone I'm attracted to is stupid. And, I don't have a funeral home kink. I just wanted to see how it'd feel like here. We can go someplace else if this is really making you uncomfortable."

"Yeah. That'd be nice," he mumbled. "I need a change of environment."

"My place is close?"

Naruto gulped audibly at the thought of having sex on the bed that he had watched Sasuke do many things to himself on. He… he would like that.

"Yeah. Okay."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the last part. Thank you to those who reviewed. I had a good time reading them.**

* * *

After locking the front door, they stepped into the night air. Naruto could see a brief hint of relief on Sasuke's face. He seemed much calmer than when he had first come here. The streets were dark, the only illumination was the weak streetlights, but Sasuke's footsteps never faltered.

"I've been thinking about why I accepted your offer to help me," Sasuke said, breaking the silence. Naruto hadn't expected it, so he looked at Sasuke in bewilderment.

"Yeah?"

"Hn. I like you for some reason. But I guess things took a different turn. Just so you know, it's been a long time since I've slept with someone without getting paid." He ignored Naruto's wince as they turned a corner. "I'm undeniably attracted to you."

Naruto grinned despite himself. "You were serious when you said you weren't good at relationships, weren't you?"

Sasuke looked at him like he'd claimed that the Earth is flat.

"Sorry," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. It was sore after a day of work. He hoped he wouldn't get any work related calls for the rest of the day. "I like you, too."

"You do?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I thought you were a psycho first, though. And a necrophiliac. My thoughts started to change after our little chat in the big hall."

"Necrophiliac? You're one to talk. You watch porn with dead bodies in the room."

"Can you not put it like that?" Naruto murmured. "I'm certainly not a fan of it, and I've done that only once. I was alone in another room the other times."

Instead of answering, Sasuke took out keys from the pocket of his coat. Naruto gave the building they stood before a look. They had many stand alone houses in town, and this was one of them. It wasn't really huge or anything, but he guessed Sasuke lived alone so he figured it should be more than fine for one person.

"Take off your shoes."

"You were more than fine with lying on a table I wash dead people on, but you don't enter your house with your shoes? You're a strange person, Sasuke."

"I was planning on taking a shower after that. I don't have the luxury of washing my carpets and couches whenever I want."

"Still."

After removing their shoes, Sasuke shut the door behind them and turned the lights on. They walked through a plainly decorated corridor. The cream colored carpet under his feet was super fluffy that Naruto curled his toes on instinct, hoping Sasuke wouldn't notice.

Where Sasuke was leading him, he didn't know, but he wasn't surprised when the door they entered opened to a bedroom.

It was a bedroom Naruto recognized, especially the bed area.

"Wow," he whispered.

"This is where all the magic happens." Sasuke took off his trench coat, hanging it somewhere - Naruto didn't see, he was too busy gawking at the bed and remembering the sinful things he'd watched Sasuke do on it. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Uh, no. Thanks." He turned to Sasuke. The nervousness from earlier was back full force. He wiped his hands on his jeans. He didn't remember doing anything like this, ever, so he naturally had no idea what he was supposed to do or even say.

"Well. Could you give me 5 minutes?" Sasuke asked, starting to strip off his clothing. "I don't want to do anything knowing I smell like dead bodies."

"Sure," Naruto nodded. "You don't smell, though." His eyes were watching Sasuke reveal his body bit by bit. He couldn't look away even if he wanted to, and Sasuke didn't look like he minded, so he kept watching.

Sasuke smiled. He only had his panties on now. The rest of his clothes were shoved into a large hamper that stood by the wardrobe. "Do you want me to give you toys to entertain yourself while I'm gone?"

Toys...? Oh. _Toys_. Literally.

His mouth went dry at the thought. "What do you want me to do with them?"

Shrugging, Sasuke walked to the mahogany dresser, his delicate hands reaching for the handle of the first drawer. "You can just look or try them on yourself. Or…" He cocked his head and gave Naruto a seductive look. "You can choose which ones you'd like to use on me."

Was it even possible to get hard just from that? Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to another, feeling restless.

"Don't just stand there. Come here and look."

Naruto was hyperaware of everything as he did that. The room smelled of incense and caramel-vanilla candles. The carpet here was soft, too. He wondered if the mattress was as soft as the carpet. Sasuke had always seemed comfortable lying on it. The lights were yellow… and somehow sensual.

Sasuke was practically naked.

"The first drawer holds the dildos. I'm sure you already know I prefer them big. I don't use them often, but there's a bunch of plugs, too. You might see a set of nipple clamps and handcuffs."

The casualness of his tone was driving Naruto crazy. Sasuke acted like this was the most normal thing in the world.

"The second one has lubes and oils. I have almost all flavors and scents on the market. Though some may have expired. By the way, I'm not particularly fond of strawberry flavor." He sighed. "Feels weird when I'm actually eating strawberries. Anyhow," he shut the second drawer and opened the third one. "This has all my socks. You get to choose which one I'm going to wear tonight."

Naruto licked his lips, unable to take his eyes from the dresser. "I'm speechless."

"I can see that," Sasuke chuckled. "I'll be back in a few. Feel free to get on the bed."

He watched Sasuke grab a bathrobe and enter to the adjacent bathroom. For a moment, he just stood there in awe. He really was going to have sex with Sasuke, that much was clear, and he would even get to use toys and stuff.

It would be a lie to say he'd never fantasized of this. But knowing the person he jerked off to was someone like Sasuke, he had thought it would always stay as a fantasy.

But here he was. Was Naruto merely someone Sasuke used to fulfill his needs? He had mentioned having worked as a prostitute. If he wanted a casual fuck, he could get it and even get paid for it. Yet, here he was with Naruto in his bedroom.

The thought made Naruto smile. Sasuke had chosen him. He was wanted. And no matter how different Sasuke was from any other person he had met, no matter how confused and broken he was, Naruto wanted him back.

The socks in the drawer all looked pretty. Naruto reached for a black one. It was plain and simple. He wanted Sasuke to wear something cute, so he let it go and picked up another one. This one was striped, a soft blue and a light pink. The fabric was soft. Naruto thought it would look cute on Sasuke's lean legs. He could put his hands on them, feeling the warmth of Sasuke's skin through the fabric. Yeah, he was sure it was the right choice. Grabbing its matching pair, he grabbed the pink, lacy garters and placed them in a box in a corner, then left them all on the bed.

He came back and opened the first drawer again to pick a toy. Sasuke had all colors of dildos; the ones that stood out the most were black, pink, purple, orange (why would anyone buy that, he had no idea) and blue. He immediately recognized the black one. Sasuke used it pretty often in his videos. Naruto traced a finger on it, feeling his blood boil in his veins. God, he wanted this so bad. He gave a look to the bathroom door. The sound of water hitting the shower tiles could still be heard. Why was Sasuke taking so long?!

In the end, he grabbed the black one. If he wasn't mistaken, Sasuke used it quite often. A voice in his head whispered that he enjoyed using it more than others. Naruto wanted to see him break with pleasure. The idea was enough to make him feel weak. On the screen, it was fantastic. In real life? He just hoped he could prevent himself from having a premature climax, though it seemed impossible to do so while watching that perfect face scrunch in pleasure. He felt aroused just thinking about how the stockings he chose would look on Sasuke. And the feel of his skin… so tender under Naruto's calloused fingertips.

"You seem deep in thought."

He dropped the toy in his hand. It hit the wooden dresser top while he glanced at Sasuke. His hair was wet and looked even darker, like a cold winter night's sky. He was leaning against the doorframe, one hand holding the belt of his white, fluffy bathrobe that reached his knees in order not to fully reveal his body. Naruto wanted it off.

"I'm trying to choose," he admitted.

"You choose black?"

"Yes." He held it out for Sasuke to take.

With slow steps, Sasuke walked toward him, eyes fixed on the toy. When he wrapped his pale fingers around the dildo, a low and almost inaudible moan left Naruto's throat.

Arching a brow, Sasuke chuckled. "That was a nice sound."

"Sorry," Naruto muttered. It was ridiculous - Sasuke hadn't even touched him yet!

"It's okay. I liked it." He turned around as his gaze roamed over the red bed sheets, assessing the items Naruto had put there. "Nice choice."

"I thought they would look good on you."

Sasuke undid his belt as he spoke. "They indeed do."

The bathrobe fell to the ground. Sasuke's naked back and ass was all Naruto could see. Then, Sasuke decided to bend over to open a small drawer in his wardrobe, and his balls along with the back of his cock entered Naruto's view.

"God, you're such a tease," Naruto growled out, feeling his pants tighten.

"You're more patient than I thought you'd be." The blue panties in his hands caught Naruto's eye. They passed slender legs and covered Sasuke's cheeks.

"Sasuke…"

"Hm?" He made his way to the bed, sitting on it and grabbing a sock. Naruto was mesmerized as he watched Sasuke gracefully put them on. When he finished doing the garters, he stood up and opened one of the doors to his wardrobe. "This needs something else."

"...Like what?"

Tossing a knowing smirk his way, Sasuke pulled out a cotton candy pink mini skirt. Quickly, he put it on.

Naruto gulped, then licked his lips. "You look good like that."

"I never guessed you'd be like this in bed. You always seemed in control at the funeral home," Sasuke said, giving a hearty laugh.

"What do you mean?" Naruto frowned. "I'd be very much in control if you weren't doing… this! It's almost cheating."

"No, it's not." Naruto didn't even know when Sasuke had come closer. He could feel his warm breath on his lips. "All's fair in love and war."

"That's not from the Bible," he said, almost whispering. Sasuke's eyes were coal black and shining in mischief. Pale fingers touched his cheek.

"No," Sasuke smiled, looking back into Naruto's eyes. "It's not."

He grabbed the hand touching his face. "Say, Sasuke." His voice was gruff, nearly unrecognizable to his own ears. "We haven't kissed yet."

"Then we gotta fix that little problem, hm?"

Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes glaze over when he started to close the distance between their mouths. First, it was a faint brush, then he experimentally closed his lips over Sasuke's. The hand slipped away from his own and clutched the front of his shirt, almost desperately.

"Naruto," Sasuke mumbled, making their lips touch once again. His eyes were half lidded. "Touch me."

And that's what Naruto did. Suddenly, his hands were all over Sasuke, the scent of Sasuke's soap made his head spin a little, and his kisses gained fierceness. He liked the taste of Sasuke's lips, the way he felt under his touch, and the cute whimpers he let out every once in awhile. Naruto wanted to hear more of them. He wanted to be the reason why Sasuke moaned like he did when his camera was on him.

He gently picked Sasuke up and seated him on the dresser. The slender legs wrapped around his waist instantly, drawing him in close for less proximity. A tan hand found its way on Sasuke's left thigh, stroking the skin with his thumb before moving upward and stopping when it reached under the skirt.

Letting out a moan, Sasuke pressed his legs against Naruto's butt and brought their groins into contact. Naruto shuddered, feeling the intensity of their arousals pressed together send pleasant shivers through his body.

He caught Sasuke's lower lip with his teeth and tugged, biting down on the soft flesh. When he opened his eyes to see how Sasuke was reacting, he saw the flushed skin of his cheeks and the perspiration on his forehead.

His patience was wearing thin. He picked Sasuke up again and carried him to the bed. The liplock broke when Sasuke fell down, sprawled out across the mattress. The contrast his skin made with the dark red sheets was breathtaking, but instead of climbing on top of him, Naruto took off his own shirt, threw it to the floor and went back to pick a lube from the second drawer. He could feel Sasuke's heated gaze on his back.

"The toys are compatible with silicone-based lube."

Not that Naruto had lots of knowledge about lube types, but he guessed it was safe to pick a silicone-based one to use with the dildo. He at least knew they lasted longer than the others, much to his delight. He saw that most of the scented and flavored ones were water-based. He was too turned on to decide whether he wanted flavor or long-lasting effect, so he grabbed the first one he saw and walked back to the bed.

Sasuke's legs were wide open now, and his cock was at least half hard under the thin fabric. Naruto kneeled down before the bed, grabbing Sasuke from his ankles and pulling him toward himself so he was face to face with Sasuke's crotch.

He kissed an inner thigh, then licked a trail up. Just when he passed the tent that had formed under Sasuke's skirt, he heard a whimper. Planting another kiss to Sasuke's tummy, Naruto chuckled. "I have you figured out, you know. You want this as much as I do, but you drive me crazy on purpose by acting all casual about it." A grazing of the teeth against a nipple. "You're just better at hiding it like everything else."

He heard Sasuke sharply exhale, then two hands were fisted in his hair, pulling him up to meet Sasuke's eager mouth. They kissed, almost ferociously. Naruto was dazed by how talented Sasuke's tongue was, rubbing against his own and making his stomach tighten in pleasure.

It was like Sasuke had control, even though he acted submissively. Maybe it was the way he preferred sex, or simply a habit due to his old job. He didn't seem to be holding back anything as he explored every inch of Naruto's mouth, one of his hands left the blond mop of hair to touch Naruto's chest, then glided down to caress his abs.

"Mm." Naruto nipped at Sasuke's abused lower lip. His neck looked very inviting, so he gave his pulse a harsh suck before kissing his way up to the back of his ear.

"You…" Sasuke panted. "Make this feel incredible."

Naruto gave a kiss to the earlobe. "I do?"

"Yeah," he swallowed between taking deep breaths. "I've never felt this way before."

Naruto stopped biting at the shell of Sasuke's ear and pulled back to see his face. "What are you talking about?"

Sasuke sat up, supporting himself with his arms as he wrapped his legs around Naruto's waist. "You make me feel like I matter."

"Sasuke," Naruto spoke. "You do matter. What's this about?"

"It's just… I've never had someone in my bed that made me feel like this before." He worried on his lip for a while, looking at the dresser. "Sorry. I killed the mood."

Naruto was trying to wrap his head around why Sasuke had chosen to say these in this particular mood. It must be important to him. Sasuke was beautiful, he had an amazing body, but apparently Naruto did something that none of Sasuke's previous lovers had done. "...What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said, his brows knitted together in an obvious attempt at concentrating. "Can we kiss some more?"

Naruto replied by granting his wish. Their lips moved softly against each other. There was something about Sasuke that made Naruto want to know more about him. He was both vulnerable and guarded. Weak and strong. Broken, yet not defeated.

The heat between them returned rapidly. Sasuke's nimble fingers worked at his belt and teased his straining erection through his jeans, making Naruto moan into the kiss, and letting Sasuke know that he was getting beyond frustrated.

He had let Sasuke set the pace until that moment, but once his jeans were off and Sasuke climbed into his lap, he felt his control slip from his hands. A second later, Sasuke was shirtless and lying on his back, Naruto hovering over him. He left a few more kisses on Sasuke's mouth and made his way down, licking, sucking and biting the pale skin, loving how the unmarred flesh went a bright red.

A tanned hand stroked Sasuke's thigh. He made sure to wait until Sasuke was pushing himself up to make more contact. It was payback for being a tease earlier.

"You think what you said earlier is because you're not used to being on the receiving end?"

When he slowly pumped Sasuke through his panties, he heard a beautiful sound. Finally, Sasuke was starting to let go. Hungry for more, he crawled lower, impatiently removing the skirt and giving the wet spot on the underwear an experimental suck. Sasuke's hips flexed up. "Maybe."

He could bet that none of the people Sasuke had slept with had tried to make him feel this good.

He tugged the panties down until they reached Sasuke's knees. His hands were roaming over the clothed legs. He planted sensual kisses over them, his eyes fixed on the revealed cock. Sasuke had raised himself on his arms and was looking at him, anticipation clear in his eyes. There was also a hint of… insecurity? Or fear - Naruto didn't know.

He took his time licking Sasuke. It was beautiful on the screen, and even more beautiful in person. He teased the throbbing vein of his shaft, smiling at the way Sasuke clenched the sheets.

"I want you to feel good," he announced before opening his mouth and taking Sasuke inside. Giving head wasn't something he considered himself very good at. He hadn't done it too many times, after all. But looking at the man before him, hearing broken moans and suppressed versions of his name, he was encouraged to suck harder.

He let go of Sasuke when he recognized the telltale signs of an orgasm.

Not letting Sasuke ask any questions, he took off his own pants, along with his briefs. Sasuke's lust-filled eyes drifted down to his swollen cock. Naruto grabbed the hand that reached for it and pinned it above Sasuke's head. "Sex is something that should be mutually enjoyed, Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed.

"I want you to put on a private show for me," Naruto said in between kisses pressed against the sweaty neck. "With the black toy. Can you do that?"

Sasuke was lightly trembling beneath him. Their bodies were pressed together, giving them the opportunity to feel each and every movement the other made. Naruto could tell Sasuke was excited from how fast his heart was beating in his chest. His own was corresponding. He grabbed Sasuke harshly by the hair and gave him one rough kiss on the mouth, then pulled away, detaching their bodies completely.

He had never seen Sasuke look so disheveled. Even in the videos, when it was obvious that he was at the peak of sexual frustration, he had had this aura around him that conveyed composure, even if just a tiny bit. But the way his red cock shamelessly leaked as he took deep, ragged breaths to cool down showed none of that collected state.

"...A show?" He throatily asked.

"Yes." Naruto grabbed one of the pillows behind Sasuke, careful not to make physical contact, and returned to his place on the other side of the bed while laying down and making himself comfortable.

"I can do that," Sasuke quickly said, nodding as he reached for lube. He looked almost impatient to get it over with so he could get Naruto back.

He squeezed the liquid into his palm. Closing the cap with a click, he threw it to the empty side of the large bed and expertly started to coat the dildo. He had definitely gained some composure back, at least he wasn't shaking with need anymore. The movements of his hand were mesmerizing Naruto. To relieve some of the pressure that he created from imagining those fingers on his cock, he gave himself a few pumps. Sasuke's long eyelashes touched his cheeks as he blinked, his stare fixed on Naruto. The naughty glint shining in his orbs and that little smirk he used whenever he was in the mood to tease were torture. "Returning the favor?"

Naruto hissed. "Fuck, Sasuke. Stop using that tone or I'll come right away."

"Too bad." He pursed his red lips in fake sympathy. "We were just getting started."

Deeply breathing in, Naruto closed his eyes so he wouldn't just attack Sasuke and fuck him senseless into the mattress. Sasuke was extremely talented in bed, that was for sure.

"You're missing out on the best part," Sasuke warned. When Naruto opened his eyes again, he saw Sasuke bent over, a finger in his ass.

"Holy fuck," Naruto growled. He was getting harder and harder by the second, and his cock ached. He had asked for his own doom when asking for a show. Sasuke seemed amused, probing in with another slick finger.

In and out. In and out. The long fingers repeated the pattern for who knows how long. How Naruto wished it was his dick filling Sasuke's hole. His hands were sweating.

"Mmm," Sasuke let out a long moan. His other hand brought the dildo to his ass, making the tip touch his sensitive flesh. Naruto knew Sasuke wasn't ready yet, and the toy was big. A part of him always knew Sasuke liked spicing his sex life with a little bit of pain, but watching was another matter. Suddenly, he didn't just want to watch. He had had enough watching. Participating in the act was much more fun.

"Let me," he crawled forward and snatched the dildo away from Sasuke. "Turn around and lay down. Hands above your head."

Sasuke threw him a glare for interrupting his little game, but slowly laid down on his back and placed his arms on the pillow. Naruto pushed the pale, covered legs up, gave his kneecap a kiss and bent Sasuke in half to reveal his hole, which was twitching, ready to be filled.

The dildo looked lubricated enough. He slowly pushed the tip in, earning a gasp from Sasuke. He gradually pushed more and more until Sasuke was writhing, out of breath.

"Do you want to touch yourself?" Naruto asked, shallowly fucking Sasuke with the toy. Only the half of it was in, but it was considerably thick, so he spared Sasuke the torture.

"Ye _s_ ," he answered, the last part sounding more like a moan because of the particularly hard thrust Naruto gave him.

"Sit up, Sasuke."

He bit his lip to distract himself from the urge to wrap a hand around his cock. Sasuke was… simply breathtaking. It took all his restraint to not pull out the toy and drive in himself. He hoped there were condoms somewhere close as Sasuke levered himself up and slowly lowered his body until the dildo was completely sheathed in him.

"You can touch yourself," Naruto murmured. "But above the waist."

"W-what?" Sasuke panted, throwing his head back in pleasure when Naruto touched his swollen penis. Naruto was making a habit of disrupting Sasuke's replies.

"You heard me." He moved closer to the other man. "I wanna see what else your hands can do in person."

Sasuke shook his head. Naruto could imagine the feeling of being full, so close to the edge… and not being able to come. "Naruto. I need to-"

"Shh," he murmured, tenderly kissing Sasuke's lips. "Put one of your hands on my shoulder and move your hips, baby. Trust me."

Shutting his eyes tightly, Sasuke grabbed hold of Naruto's bare shoulders. He started to move, riding the big toy, biting on his lower lip to prevent himself from making sounds and failing miserably. His idle hand was caressing his stomach, dangerously close to his erection. But he obeyed Naruto and moved it up instead of going down.

"Just like that." He connected their mouths again, this time plunging his tongue inside Sasuke's mouth. Unannounced, a strong, tan hand started pumping Sasuke's shaft.

"Gh-aah!"

Like a wild animal in heat, Sasuke was kissing Naruto hard, pinching a nipple. An arm wound around Naruto's neck as he moved back and forth, up and down, thrusting into Naruto's fist. Naruto swiped his thumb over the slit, and it took only a few more thrusts for Sasuke to bare his neck to Naruto and come hard. Naruto watched him ride his orgasm with glistened eyes.

"You look beautiful," he whispered. Sasuke was still quivering. Naruto gently urged him to lift his hips up and took the dildo out at a slow pace. Sasuke huffed, falling down and pulling Naruto toward him by the arm.

"Naruto," he whispered, drawing circles on the caramel colored arm with his index finger. He was studying Naruto's face, his lips, flushed chest, muscled thighs and the erection jutting out from the nest of blond curls. He either changed his mind or simply didn't have anything to say in the first place, because instead of continuing, he raised his legs and drew Naruto down. It made Naruto's body tremble to realize Sasuke had lined up Naruto with his used hole.

"Condoms," Naruto gritted out. He didn't even know how he was still able to hold back.

Sasuke hesitantly pushed Naruto a bit to reach for the nightstand. Sucking his lower lip in (Naruto thought he looked very cute like that), he rummaged in the bottom drawer, sighing when he found the box he was looking for. He checked the expiration date.

Naruto hung his head low, feeling his face burn. "Hurry up!"

The sound of the condom wrapper being torn was heard, and a second later, Naruto felt Sasuke's warm hand stroke his cock once, twice, then roll the condom down on it.

"Where's lube?"

"Nevermind that," Sasuke said, running a hand through his hair and brushing his sweat-dampened locks aside. "Just go in. I want to feel you inside me."

As if Naruto could bear it any longer. He forgot about everything else as he pushed inside Sasuke. The residual lube from the toy was somewhat enough, though they could definitely have used some more. But Sasuke appeared to like it a bit dry, if the pleased whimpers he made indicated anything.

"God, Sasuke, you're so warm inside," Naruto gritted his teeth, shallowly thrusting in and out without waiting further. "And how can you be tight after having that dildo up in your ass?"

A chuckle rumbled in Sasuke's chest. He clenched his ass, making Naruto see the stars for a moment.

" _Fuck_." He wasn't going to last. Because of his own arousal, he hadn't noticed, but Sasuke was already hard again. Perhaps he enjoyed seeing Naruto come undone… Did that count as a kink? Naruto honestly couldn't care less. He pushed even deeper, watching himself disappear inside the other as he fucked Sasuke nice and hard.

"Can I touch myself?"

Naruto looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze. "Of course you can," he said, kissing the sweaty forehead.

The cum pooled on Sasuke's belly wasn't even dry yet, but clenching his ass in pleasure, Sasuke pumped himself into completion and sprayed white seed all over his stomach once again.

All it took for Naruto to climax was a few more thrusts. He moaned, feeling his arms lose strength as he buried his nose in Sasuke's neck. The last waves of pleasure died down, and Naruto was sated, tired and happy.

After pulling back, he disposed of the condom in the bathroom and washed himself, returning to the bed with a dampened rag. Surely, there was a hygiene routine Sasuke had for the sex toys, but until he was rested enough to follow it, Naruto figured he could put them in the sink. Sasuke was laying on his back with his eyes closed, and Naruto carefully wiped his body clean, too. Waking up to find himself covered in dried cum probably wouldn't be a nice thing.

The bed was still somewhat warm. Sasuke murmured that there was a blanket in the wardrobe. Naruto didn't hear Sasuke say anything else, so he simply fetched it, turned the lights off, got back in bed and pulled the covers above both of them.

It was silent except for the faint sound of their breathing. Naruto was watching Sasuke's serene expression with curious eyes.

"Mmm," Sasuke purred, rolling to his side and opening his eyes. "That was nice."

He smiled. "Heh. Agreed."

"Though I'd like to keep the skirt on. We can save that for the next time."

Naruto didn't comment on the statement. He wasn't opposed to the idea at all. "You could've told me," he said instead. "You can ask for anything, you know that, right?"

"Hm." Sasuke nodded. "I guess I could have told you."

"Sasuke…"

Raising a brow, Sasuke waited for Naruto to finish. Naruto wanted to talk about how Sasuke was a really special person. It might sound like a cliché, but he truly believed that. Maybe… maybe he could get help from a professional for his problems. Change therapists as much as needed. He had so, so much potential. Naruto honestly hoped Sasuke would accept to get help.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your brother?"

The look on Sasuke's face hardened with grief. "Lung cancer."

Naruto gulped. "Sorry to hear that."

"He was very brave from start to finish," spoke Sasuke. "It was already too late when they diagnosed it. 4% chance of survival, they said. I learned this after he died, though."

Reaching out for Sasuke's hand, Naruto brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it. "You're very brave, too."

"He always told me I would be an important person someday. Look where I am now." He gave a pained chuckle. One of his legs found Naruto's, intertwining their limbs.

"You're important. You're _the_ funeral crasher. I don't give nicknames to every person who's ever stepped inside the funeral home, just so you know."

"Idiot," Sasuke murmured, scooting closer to Naruto and rolling around. "…Spoon me."

Naruto adjusted the covers and wrapped his arm around Sasuke's waist. Sasuke was so warm against his chest. Naruto peppered light kisses on his shoulder blades, feeling Sasuke's breathing turn shallow. After a last, lingering kiss to his neck, he closed his eyes.

. . .

The irritating sound of his phone going off awoke Naruto. With eyes shut, he groaned, only half aware that he had an arm around another male's waist. There was no point in trying not to wake Sasuke up when the ringtone was this loud, so he simply pushed the comforter off of himself and got up, searching for his jeans.

When he found them crumpled on the floor, he picked them up and got his phone from the back pocket, but the line had already dropped.

"Who's it?"

He looked at Sasuke. "My dad. Sorry for waking you."

"It's fine." Sasuke sat up, covering his waist down unlike Naruto, who was open to display in the middle of the room.

"Crap. I can't believe it's 8 already." The blinds were closed and didn't let any light in, but he hadn't noticed that before. "I gotta go to work."

"Okay."

Sasuke's gaze was on him as he slowly got dressed. There was an awkward silence in the air. As he reached for his jacket, he noticed Sasuke getting up to put his bathrobe on.

"You don't have to. I can let myself out," Naruto said.

Sasuke groaned, reminding Naruto of a cat acting grouchy when being woken up from a nap. "I'd be a bad host if I did that. I was planning on preparing you breakfast too," he sighed. "If you weren't running late."

Naruto grinned broadly. "Some other time."

For some reason, Naruto thought Sasuke had never been properly seen off during his days as a prostitute as they walked through the hallway. It was more of a hunch, really, but he didn't have much time to think about it.

Opening the front door, Sasuke squinted when the daylight assaulted his eyes. Naruto merely took a deep breath with the hopes of getting his brain to start working. It was time for goodbye, and he wasn't sure what to say.

Thankfully, Sasuke took the initiative. "I had a good time last night."

"Yeah. Me too," Naruto replied, putting on his shoes. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Inviting me here." He straightened up and faced Sasuke, who looked about ready to fall asleep, leaning against the wall.

"Hmm."

"So…" He shoved his hands into his pockets "...Are you going to be visiting the funeral home again?"

For a moment, Sasuke assessed Naruto's face, then blinked a couple of times. "Yes," he huskily said. "I'll visit you."

The usage of the word 'you' instead of a general term wasn't lost on Naruto. He smiled, appreciating Sasuke's honesty. "Great to hear that."

They looked at each other.

"Well then," Naruto murmured. "I'll see you around."

"You will."

They both leaned for a kiss at the same time. It was short and brief, but enough to convey both their emotions. When they parted, Naruto nodded for no reason, offering another smile that hopefully looked sweet before he turned around and started to head to the funeral home.

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
